Axle assembly



Jan. 1, 1929. 1,697,784w

E. W. SEAHOLM AXLE AS S EMBLY Filed oct. 11, 1925 f4, 62- 35% @Mom/013,5

-Patented Jan. `1, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFEicE.

EENEsT W. sEAHoLM, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN, AssIoNon To GENERAL MoTons conronATIoN, oF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A ConPoEATIoN or DELAWARE. f

AxrE ASSEMBLY.

Applicationv md' octbei 11, 1923. seria; No. 667,957.

This invention relates to-automobiles, and is illustrated as embodied in a front axle as- An object o'f the inventionis to provide'- such an assembly with means for lubricating tlie various relatively movable parts with a minimumof effort. From this point of vie-w,

' tion, the knuckle 12 and the arms 14 and 16 the invention contemplatesvlthe lubrication of the wheel bearings by the provision of apas-` sage extending throu gli tlie wliecl spindle and through which lubricant can be ed'froi'n a fitting adjacent the base of the spindle.V Preferably, the wheel is supported by avpair of, .axially-spaced anti-friction bearings'and the described lubricant passage opens between these bearings.

The invention is also applicable to front wheel mountings, vin which case the knuckle is connected tothe upper and lower arms of a bifurcated front axle by means of Ia hollow king pin which may, if desired, be lugged at its upper end and' which is provi ed with means for introducing lubricant in its side to` be fed through the kingpin to an anti-friction bearing between the kiqigpin and the lower armlof the axle.- I

Other features of the invention relate to lubricated ball-and-socket joints-between a drag link and the steering arms c oiii'ie'eted to the opposite knuckles of the yfront'wheels; to' an arrangement for retaining'lubricant'in the upper and lower bea-rings of akingepin ofthe form described; and to otherdesirable features of construction and novelcoi'nbinations of particular parts which will be apparent `from the followinglv description of tl'ie-illi'1's7 trative embodiment shown in the acv ing drawings, in which f Fig. 1 1s a view partly in .transver vertical section through a' front wheel-and knuckle A and part of the front axle; y

Fig. 2-is a top plan view of the partss'hown inIFig.1;and i Y Fig. 3 is a View in a horizontal plane in section through the novel joint lbetween the drag link and the steering arm. Y

In the arrangement selected for illustration, the front wheell10 is .supported on -a knuckle 12 having a portion extending between the upper arm 14 and the lower arm l16 of a front axle 18. The wheel-is supported on the spindleby anti-friction bearings 20-and 22 axially-spaced onthe spindle 12 and which, according to one :feature of the present invention,`are lubricated by lubricant introduced through a fitting 24 at the base of the spindle A12 into a passage 26 in the spindle which opens at 28 fbetween the bearings. This permits of easily lubricating the wheel bearings without removing the wheel or otlierWise'dis-- y turbing the ad]ustment of the various parts.

- According to another feature of the'finvenare connected'by a hollow king pin 30, vwhich 1s shown as Closed near its top by a plug 32 and which is connected to the knuckle 12 to move therewith by a Vcross-key 34. At its'upper end, the kingv pin is journaled in a bush- `ing 3 6 to which is threaded a cap 38carrying a litting 40 through which lubricant may be introduced. vlIf desired, a packing 42 mayI be provided between the bushing 36 and the top lsurface of the knuckle 12. By this arrange- .videdan anti-frictionthrust bearing 46. `In

orderto inclose this bearing and thelower end `of the king pin30,a lubricant-tight-cap 48 is threaded to be 'screwed into the, opening in the arm 16, and packing 50 is compressed between a flanged washer or equivalent member 52 engaging'y the lower surface of the knuckle 12 and a member such as a bushing 54 'seated in the arm 16 and having an upwardly vextending' flange inclosed by the flange of the member 52.y Lubricant vmay be introduced L into .the hollow kingpin through a fitting 56 and is fed through the king pin into the cap 48 and to the bearing 46. v

The knuckle is rovided with a steering arm 60 of usual orm, which is connected to the arm 60 of the knuckle at the opposite side of the vehicle by a drag link 62 to which is clamped at each end a member 64 split at its end to .be clamped by means of a clamp bolt 66 onto a cup member 72 containing a pair of cooperating ha1f-socket members one of which, shown at 68, is threaded in the cup member, and the other of which, shown at V'70, is slidably supported inthe cup member 72 by a spring 74 which automatically' takes up for Wear and which allowsa slight relative movement of the various parts. Embraced between thel cooperating half-socket members 68 and 7 0 is a connect-v ing device having aI spherical head 76 from which a stem 78 extends upwardly through au opening in the steering arm 60 to which it is secured by a castellated nut 80. yThe connecting device is provided with a lubricant passage 82 which feeds lubricant from a iitting 84 through the spherical head 7 6 'into the cup member 7 2 for the lubrication of the various parts. It will be noted that the half-socket member 7 0 has a central opening through which the lubricant may pass. As shown in Fig. 1,' the steering' arm 60 may also, if desired, be connected to the drag link from the steering column by a similar ball-aud-socket joint. The arm 60 may have a conical end 86 (Fig. 2) keyed to the knuckle 12 and held by a clamping nut 88.

"hile one illustrative embodiment of my invention has been described, it is not my intention to limit its scope to that particular embodiment or otherwise than by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A front axle assembly comprising, in combination, an axle bifurcated at its end to provide upper and lower arms, a knuckle having a portion extending between said arms, a hollow king pin keyed to the knuckle and connecting the axle and knuckle and having a bearing in the upper arm of the axle, an anti-friction bearing between the lower end ofthe king .pin and the lower arm of the axle, a lubricant-tight cap over the 4lower end of the king pin inclosing said king pin, and means for introducing lubri-v cant into the upper cap for lubricating the bearing between the upper arm of the axle and said king pin. Y

2. A front axle assembly comprising, in combination, a front axle which is bifurcated at its end to provide ,upper and lower arms, a knuckle having a portion extending between said arms, a king pin connecting the knuckle and said arms, an anti-friction bearing between the lower en d of the king pin and the lower arm of the axle, a cap threaded in the lower arm of the axle and incl'osing the lower end of the king pin and the lower side of said bearing to retain lubricant, and a packing between the knuckle and the upper face of the lower arm of the axle including a member carried by the axle arm and which has an upwardly extending ilangevand a member engaging the lower face ,of the knuckle and which has a downwardly extending flange inclosing the r'st mentioned flange and packing material compressed between said members inside of said flanges.

- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ERNEST W. SEAHOLM. 

